Edgar Allan Poe was an American writer, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. The Bells was written by Poe in 1848, but it was not published until December 1849, some three months after his death. It is an irregular ode comprised of four numbered movements that vary in length, each one longer than its predecessor, each dedicated to a successive stage in the human life span, and each having its own type of metal bell. The poem is filled with alliteration, assonance and monosyllabic rhymes, and the reader cannot help but be struck by the sheer pace of its rapid lyrical flow. The Bells is one of Poe’s famous poems, in which Poe tries to make the bells sound real. He tries to make the sounds by using words instead of sound, which is really annoying when you read it because he repeats things so often in the poem. He uses words like shrieking and twinkling. In every stanza he talks about different bells, and what noises they make, and for what occasion they are for. In the first stanza, he talks about sleigh bells and Christmas bells. In this poem he uses the words tinkling and jingling to represent the bells. When he uses these words, it sets a happy and jolly type of mood for the reader. It starts the poem out in a warm and happy manner. Listen online to free English audiobook "The Bells” on our website to experience Edgar Allan Poe's poem.
